‘Tragic’: Motorbike lover, Julatten man identified as crash victims

Police have spoken out about the ‘tragic weekend’ on the Tablelands with crashes claiming the lives of two men who died in front of their friends.

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A PASSIONATE motorcycling enthusiast from Cairns and a young Julatten man have been killed in two separate road tragedies within two hours during a “tragic” weekend on the Tablelands.

A 62-year-old Manunda man was on an overnight group ride with two friends to Einsleigh when it is believed his road trail bike hit a large mound on an unsealed remote road, southwest of Chillagoe, causing him to lose control and crash on Saturday afternoon.

A short time later a young couple and their friend, a 21-year-old from Julatten, crashed the ATV they were driving down an embankment and into bushland and rolled along Quaids Rd near Mt Molloy.

Both men were declared dead at the scenes.

Tablelands police Acting Insp Greg Giles said investigations into both crashes were continuing as he begged motorists to take care on the road.

“It has been an absolutely tragic weekend in the Mareeba area,” he said.

“We’ve got two families now preparing for funerals for their loved ones because of these tragedies.

“It is a timely reminder that we need to be careful on the roads because these men were both vulnerable road users on a motorbike and an ATV.”

Initial investigations into the motorbike crash suggest the man and two friends set out from Cairns on Saturday morning, stopping for a break and fuel in Dimbulah before heading south on Almanden Gingerella Rd.

A police spokesman said the trio had only just entered an unsealed section of the road when the 62-year-old, who was riding in the middle of the group, hit a sandy build-up and was thrown from his bike.

His two friends tried desperately to save him, setting off an EPIRB which was intercepted by a light aircraft overhead which swooped low enough to see them attempting to revive him using CPR.

Paramedics and police rushed to the remote scene, but he was pronounced dead.

The friends of the young Julatten man involved in the ATV crash also tried to help him before emergency services arrived, but he too could not be revived.

The pair, a man and woman both aged in their early 20s, were treated for minor injuries at Mareeba Hospital.

They also underwent mandatory drug and alcohol blood tests with police investigating whether alcohol may have been a factor.

Originally published as ‘Tragic’: Motorbike lover, Julatten man identified as crash victims